Method of coating metal articles



F. E. JOHNSON.

METHOD OF COATING METAL ARTICLES. APPLICATION FILED Nov 5, 1 920.

1 407 0 7 Patented Feb. 21, 1922.

INVENTOR v .uN jsrArss PATENT,ors cs.

- FRANK E. .romison, or e'xtannsnuae, rnnnsirnvaiwm.

7 no OF team anew. iterates. i1 7 Specification of Letters. Patent meted F b'.21,--1922 lp pl ic ation filed November erial llTo.

T0 all 'wlzo m z't wiag coiicrn:

Be it known that I, FRANK E. JOHNSON, a

V citizen ofthe United States, and resident of Greensburg', in the county of VVestm'oreland andState of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvementdn Methods of Coating 'Metal Articles; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full','clear, and,

' evenly distributed over the surface of the article to be coated, thereby insuring an even deposit of vthe coating material and a smooth surface on the article.

To these ends my inventlon consists, generally stated, in submerging the metal articles to be coated in a bath of coating material and drawing the articles directly from the bath by magnetic attraction.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated suitable apparatus for carrying out my improved method, in which Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the tank containing the coating material with-the magnetic lifting device arranged above same; and Fig. 2 is a partial cross section of Fig. 1.

I will first describe the apparatus illustrated for carrying out my improved method, although it will be understood that any suitable form of apparatus may be employed.

The numeral 2 designates a suitable trough or tank which contains the coating material which, in the present instance let us assume, is zinc which is employed in coating elbows, Ts, couplings, etc. The bath of zinc is maintained at the proper temperature by any suitable heating means, the burners 3 being illustrated in a moreor less diagrammatic form for this purpose.

Supported within the tank 2 is the perforated plate 4 supported on brackets 5, said plate being submerged in the bath of zinc. This perforated plate 4 forms a support for the Ts, elbows, couplings, etc., which are to be coated, and said plate is arranged at such a height within tlie tank that the; articles to becoated, when placed thereon'will be completely submerged bythezinc r other coating'material. p, p L

At onefend of the tank 2 is/a suitable conveyer 5' onto which the article's'jto bev coated are delivered, "andlfsaid articles are discharged from the upper end of said conveyer into the tankff2, said articles passing through the sal ainmoniac 7' fwhich' rests upon the coating material and; confined to; one ena t thesaid't'anlt by the partition 8 extendingdown into the bath. The articles discharged 'into rthe tank in manner: fall down the perfo ated. plate; 4', and are advanced by a suitable pusher or other tool beyond the'partition 8.

Suitable pedestals 9 are erected on the foundationslO, said pedestals having the bearings 11 in which is journaled the shaft 12. One end of the shaft 12 carries the.

gear-wheel 13 with which the pinion 14 on the motor-shaft 15 of the motor 16 meshes. Keyed to the shaft 12 is the spider 17,

veach arm of the spider having at its outer end a suitable electro-magnet 18.

An upright 19 on the foundation 10 has the arm 20 which supports the rings 21 of copper or other suitable material, said rings being properly insulated and to which the wires 22 are connected 'for conveying the current to said rings. The rings 21 are provided with the gaps 23.

Brushes 247 areconnected to the arms of the spider 17 said brushes moving in,con-' tact with the rings 23, and the electricity collected by said brushes from the rings 21 is conveyed by the wires 25 to the electromagnets 18, thereby charging the same.

Carrying out my improved method with the above described apparatus, the couplings,

Ts, elbows, etc., are discharged through the body of sal-ammoniac 7 on to the perforated plate 4 and are then moved out beyond the partition 8 where they are completely submerged by the zinc or other coating material. Power is conveyed from the motor 16 through the gearing described to rotate the spider 17 and the electro-magnets 18 are in sufficiently, close relation to the surface of the bath of coating material so that, as said electro-magnets come around over the said bath the articles submerged therein will be attracted by said electro-magnets and drawn up through the coatingmaterial and will adhere to said electro-magnets. As the spider continues to revolve, the surplus metal which collects at the outer end of the article as it leaves the bath will gradually.

flow back over the article, the article being gradually inverted from the position in which it was drawn from the bath. In this mannerprovision is made for taking care of that portion of metal, which always collects at the outer end of an article when lifted froma bath of molten metal. By the inversion of the'article after it is drawn from the bath, this metal flows back over the article and is evenly distributed thereon so that the coating is not thicker on one part of the article than on another, thereby insuring even distribution of the coatingmaterial and an even, smooth surface on the article.

In order to release the articles from the electro-magnets the gaps 23 in the rings 21 are provided so that when the brushes 24L reach said gaps the current to the electromagnets is cut ofl, and the articles coated fall by gravity into the chute 27, whence they are discharged into water or any other cooling apparatus.

' traction.

2. The method of, coating metal articles consisting in submerging the articles in a bath of coating material, drawing the articles directly therefrom by magnetic attraction, and movingthe articles in the arc of a circle, thereby inverting thefsame.

3. The method of coating metal articles consisting in submerging the articles in a bath of coating material, passing a magnet inclose relation to the surface of said bath, drawing the articles directly from said bath, moving the magnet in the arc of a circle to invert same, and deenergizingsaid magnet.

In testimony whereof, I, the said FRANK- E. JOHNSON, have hereunto set my hand.

FRANK E. JOHNSON.

Witnesses;

R0131. D. TUITEN," JoH' F. Winn 

